Although many believe Islam Makhachev has already cemented his legacy at 155 lbs, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen stirred the pot earlier this month by accusing the lightweight champion of “ducking” Ilia Topuria. “] the 155lbs champ did everything you could conceivably do to not fight Ilia — including leaving the division, including leaving the championship,” Sonnen claimed — a remark that quickly raised eyebrows throughout the MMA world.

The timing of Chael Sonnen’s accusation only intensified the backlash. Just days earlier, Islam Makhachev had shocked fans by announcing his move up to 170 lbs. The decision came shortly after his close friend, Belal Muhammad, lost the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. With that move, the long-anticipated superfight between Makhachev and former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria — a bout The Georgian-spanish had been chasing for years — seemed to vanish overnight.

While many fans and analysts supported Islam Makhachev’s shift to welterweight, Sonnen’s sharp criticism didn’t sit well with everyone. Until recently, his motive for singling out the reigning champ remained unclear — but former UFC fighter Josh Thomson offered some insight during a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast. Thomson suggested that Sonnen’s comments were less about Makhachev and more about a deeper bias.

“Look, if you guys don’t know anything about Chael other than the fact that he does things like this, what I will tell you is this: he’s a Russian/Dagestan wrestling hater,” Thomson explained. “I’ve done promos with him, and we’ve talked about it when we were working with Bellator together. He will tell you that there’s no such thing as Sambo — it doesn’t exist.”

Sonnen’s stance may stem from his strong roots in Greco-Roman wrestling — a discipline he’s always worn with pride. A proud All-American, Sonnen was a standout at the University of Oregon in 1998 and a two-time runner-up at the Pac-10 Championships. His deep connection to Greco-Roman wrestling has long positioned him as a figure of American wrestling pride.

Yet, while he’s been outspoken in his criticism of Sambo, that doesn’t necessarily equate to hatred for Dagestani fighters. There may be more to this narrative than meets the eye — so let’s take a closer look.

Is Chael Sonnen really a hater of Dagestani fighters, including Khabib and Islam Makhachev?

Chael Sonnen may hold a strong disdain for Sambo, but that doesn’t mean he harbors any ill will toward Dagestani fighters—particularly not Khabib Nurmagomedov. Widely regarded as a legend in the sport, ‘The Eagle’ hails from a region in Russia where Sambo is almost a rite of passage for aspiring fighters. Under the guidance of his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Khabib showcased Sambo’s effectiveness on the UFC stage and built a legacy around it.

Still, ‘The American Gangster’ has never minced words when it comes to his opinions. “Sambo sucks,” he bluntly stated back in 2018. However, despite his criticism of the discipline, he made a point to separate his views on Sambo from his respect for Khabib.

In a video from that same year, Sonnen clarified, “And I don’t believe Khabib is a Sambo player. I think somewhere, he just wanted to pay respects to Sambo. I believe he got the skills that he got being Dagestani, and I believe he got them in a wrestling room. In the history of them setting up that cage, there’s never been a contender, let alone a standout, that was good at Sambo,” he added. “It sucks, it’s not real. It’s a fake sport.”

With ‘The American Gangster’ showing no hate toward ‘The Eagle’, why does he appear to take issue with Islam Makhachev—widely seen as a more technically polished version of Khabib Nurmagomedov? What’s your take on Josh Thomson’s perspective? Share your thoughts below.